Button shaping machine



Jan. 5, 1937. H. H. KNoTT Y l BUTTON SHAPIING MACHINE Filed Aug. 20, 1935 2 'Smeets-sheet 1 Jan. 5,' 1937. H. H. KNOTT BUTTON SHAPING MACHINE 2 sheets-snaai 2 Filed Aug. 20, 1935v Patented Jan. 5, 1937 y BUTTON SHAPING -MACHINE Harry H. Knott, `Washington, Iowa, assgnor to American PearlA Button Company, Washington,

Iowa

Application August zo, 1935.1 serial N0. v37,013

claims.' Y (o1. v9-7) The object of my invention is to provide a button shaping machine of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

A further object is to provide a button tooling machine, comprising a tool head, which is readily adaptable to a conventional automatic button machine to replace the usual tool head provided thereon.

Another object is to provide an attachment for an automatic button machine designed Vto perform operations which replace costly hand operations and for making button patterns, which are not otherwise possible on an automatic machine. v

Still a further object is to provide a means fo smoother tooling and grinding of buttons, whereby designs can be made on the buttons without so much breakage of blanks and tools, Y Still vanother object is to provide in combina'- tionwith traveling button chucks, a tool head, which has a plurality of tools, one for each chuck, the parts being arranged for relative movement, so that the tools can periodically engage the button'blanks, the blanks being either continuously rotated or periodically rotated for the purpose of forming either circular or circumferentially spaced designs on the button blank as desired.

Still another'object is to provide av tool head arrangement with Va novel driving mechanism Y for 'driving a.' plurality of tools carried thereby from a 'single belt pulley or other source of power.

Still a furtheri object is to provide means for disposing `of vthe cuttings" Afrom the tools, which means includes' a manifold eiective'to produce equal suction on all tools by a single suction line. Y With these and other objects in view, my lnven- Y tion consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my button tooling machine, whereby'the` objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more 'fully set forth,` pointed out'in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure lris'a vertical, sectional view through one ot the'shafts of an automatic button machine with my attachment applied thereto;

Figure 2 is an enlarged, sectional View on the line 2-2 or Figure l, showing a means for adjusting the tools with relation to the button blanks in the button'chucks. Y

Figure V3 isfan end elevation of a pairof bearingsand a driving connection between the shafts in the bearingslooking in the direction of the arrows 3 adjacent Figure 1. Y

Figure -4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 55 0f Figure 1.

Figure 5 i'sa sectional view on the line 5--5 of Figure 4,' showing a partitioned manifold construction. r Figure 6 is a diagrammatic View showing the various positions of the button chucks, and indicating'the positions of the buttons and the operations being,` performed thereon.

Figure 7 is a plan View of a b tton showing one design which can be out therein by my tooling machine, 1 Y

y Figure 8 'is a diagrammatic View showing a means for rotating the chucks when it is desirable to form a circular design onthe button.'

Figure 9 isa sectional view through a button villustrating Vataol cooperating therewith for forming a concave button.l

Figure l0 is a similv r view showing a tool forming a convex button.vv Figure 11` is a plan view of circular groove'd design; and

Figure 12 is a sectional view similar to Figure 9 and taken on the line I2-I2 of Figure 11 showing the button of Figure 11 in section and additionally showing the tool for forming this particular button. I On'the accompanying'drawings, I have used a Ybutton vhaving a the reference numeralV II) 'to indicate a vertical shaft, which is rotatably mounted at one end of a button drillingmachine and is driven by suitable mechanism. vThe 'shaft' Ill is rotatably mounted at its lower end in a bearing I2 of a driving gearcasing III. y

vSecured to the shaft I0 is a sleeve I6 which has a pair of sprockets I6 and 2U forcoaction with ailpair of: chains of peculiar construction. The chains referredto consist of links 22 and 24. There areY two sets of these chains, one above the othenandthe upper and lower links 24 ar connectedby'yoke portions` 26. Y

vvBoth the upper andv lower links 24 have bearings 28 encircling and thereby rotatably supporting-:tubular shafts 33. Portions 32 of the bearings'28`eng`age'indepressions 34 in the sprockets Iand 2|); similar to the ArollersV of standard roller chains. Half bearing portions 36 of the bearin'gs28 extend only lhalf way around the tubular shafts 30. Half :bearings-3B are secured to the sprockets I8 and 2|), and these half bearings meet the half bearings 36 of the bearings 28 when the portions 32V engage in the `depressions 34. The half bearings 36 and 38 then comprise complete bearings vfor supporting and positioning the ends of the tubular shafts 30. Y, Y

It may herebe mentioned that there are two et ci SpI'OCket Wheels on a button drilling machine, the second set being indicated diagrammatically at |8a in Figure 6.

The yokes 26 of the links 24 merely act as carriers for maintaining the bearings 28 in proper spaced relation to each other for carrying the tubular shafts 38, as they are transported from one set of the sprocket wheels to the other set.

The tubular shafts 30 are provided with pulley portions 48.

Slidably mounted within the tubular shafts 38 are button holding chucks, comprising shafts 42, the upper ends thereof being split as at 44. The upper ends are also recessed at 46 to receive button blanks A.

Referring to Figure 4, the chuck shaft 42 at the position indicated as a is open to receive the blank A. By mechanism, not shown, the chuck is then contracted as at b to hold the button in the chuck.

The shafts 42 are provided with indexing cams 48 adapted to coact with a cam bar 50 (see Figure 6) having openings or notches 52 for the corners of the cam to rotate into and permit for each notch 52 a quarter revolution of the button chuck for the purpose of rotating the button blank to the proper position for drilling as will hereinafter be described.

The foregoing is general automatic button drilling machine practice and forms no part of my invention.

In combination with the foregoing described automatic button machine, I provide a special tool head, which will now be described. It comprises a main sleeve 54 mounted on the shaft `I8 and preferably vertically and rotatably adjustable relative thereto. For the vertical adjustment, I provide a pin 56 through the sleeve 54, through a vertical slot 58 of the shaft Ill and through a stub shaft 68.

The shaft 68 is vertically slidable in a bore in the upper end of the shaft I8 and vertical adjustment is imparted to it by a hand wheel 62 threaded on the shaft 68 and resting on a frame bar 64 of the machine.

Suitable means such as a set screw 66 is provided to lock the adjusting wheel 62 vagainst rotation after it is once adjusted.

The means for rotatably adjusting the sleeve 54 relative to the shaft I8 comprises a split collar 68 (see Figure 2) clamped by a clamp screw 'I8 on the sleeve 54 and provided with a pair of arms '12. Set screws 'I4 are threaded through the arms 'I2 and engage opposite sides of a pin 'I5 extending 'upwardly from the sprocket I8, which it will be remembered is secured to the shaft I8 to rotate therewith. One set screw 74 can be loosened and the other one tightened, so as to rotatably adjust the sleeve 54 relative to the sprocket I8 for aligning tools carried bythe sleeve with the chuck shafts 42 as will hereinafter appear.

A secondary sleeve 'I6 is keyed to the main sleeve 54 and thereby retained against rotation relative to the main sleeve. 'I'he key is indicated at 18 and a set screw 88 is provided to tighten the key for the purpose of retaining the secondary sleeve I8 at a desired elevation relative to the main sleeve 54.

The secondary sleeve 'I6 has a plurality of circumferentialiy spaced faces 82 against each of which is positioned an angle-shaped bracket 84. The bracket is retained thereagainst by a cap screw 86 extending through a vertical slot 88 of the bracket, which permits vertical adjustment of the bracket relative to the secondary sleeve 76.

For securing vertical adjustment, I provide a cap screw 90 having a flanged head 92 engaging in a notch 94 of the bracket 84, so that the cap screw when screwed inwardly or outwardly relative to the sleeve 'I6 will lower or raise the bracket 84 as desired. Thereafter the cap screw 86 can be tightened to retain the bracket in its adjusted position.

Against the lower face of each bracket 84, I provide a tool head 96 retained against the face by a cap screw 98. I'he cap screw is located in an enlarged opening |88 of the bracket 84 to permit adjustment of the tool head 96 toward or away from the shaft I8.

For adjusting the tool head 96 inwardly or outwardly a flanged head cap screw |82 is provided, which is screwed into the tool head and has its flange engaging in a notch |84 of the bracket 84.

The tool head 96 can also be adjusted at right angles to a radial line by means of set screws threaded in the angle bracket 84 and engaging opposite sides of the cap screw 98.

After the tool is properly adjusted inwardly or outwardly by rotating the cap screw |86, this cap screw 98 can be tightened for retaining the adjustment.

Each tool head has a tool shaft |86 journaled therein preferably in ball bearings, a pulley |88 being secured to the central portion of the shaft, and tools such as indicated at ||8 being secured to the outer end of the shaft. These tools may be either milled cutters or .grinders as desired, and may be of any suitable shape for the particular work being tooled by them.

For driving the-tool shafts |86, I provide pulley heads I|2 mounted on radially extending arms ||4 of the main sleeve 54. These rotatably support shafts |I6 having pulleys |I8 and bevel gears |28 mounted thereon. The pulleys |I8 are belted to the pulleys |88 by belts |22. The bevel gears |28 are driven by a bevel gear |24.

The bevel gear |24 is secured as by bolts |26 to a bearing cage |28. The bearing cage |28 is mounted by a ball bearing |38 to rotate relative to the sleeve 54.

A pulley |32 is secured to the cage |28 and is driven from a suitable source of power as by a belt |34.`

. Thus the pulley is rotated about the sleeve 54 and imparts through the bevel gears |24 and |28 and the belts |22 rotation to all of the tools ||8.

For carrying the cuttings away from the tools IIU, I provide suction conduits |36 extending upwardly to a trough |38. The trough |38 is supported by bars |48 secured to the arms I4 and extending outwardly therefrom. Above the trough |38, I mount a manifold |42 having partitions |44 for dividing the manifold into a plurality of sections |46 in order to equally distribute the suction of the manifold. The partitions I44 are spaced approximately the same distance apart as the upper ends of the conduits |36, and the manifold |42 is connected with a suction or vacuum line |48 extending to the usual centrifugal dust separator used as standard equipment in button making factories.

Rollers |58 extend from the side of the manifold |42 for riding on the peripheral edge of the trough |38, so as to closely position the lower edge of the manifold |42 adjacent the trough.

I provide means tending to rotate the chuck shafts 42 and consisting of a strap |52 having its ends anchored as for instance on pins |54 and frictionally engaging the pulleys 48. On the upper ends ofA the sleeves 30, I provide indexing cams |56, whichlare illustratedV on Vthe drawings as beingtriangular in shape. `'llhese are adapted for their flat faces to travel along guide bars |58 and |60 to prevent the chucks from rotating.

The guide bar |60 is provided with a pair of openings or notches |62 for the points of'thein- .dexing cams |56 to rotate into, due to the action of the strap |52, as best shown in Figure 6, at

rather than retaining them stationary and in dexing them. This can bedoneby providing a belt |10 (see Figure`8) trained around idlers |12 andover a drive pulley |14. The belt contacts with the pulleys 40,l so that as the belt is driven the pulleys also Vare driven, and thereby the chucks and the button blanks A rotate.

Practical cperztticn In the operation of my device as set up in` Figures l and 6, a button blank AI is placed bythe operator in position in a chuck and then travels along the bar |58 and the bar |60 in the direction of the arrow |16. The cams |56 retain the button blank against rotation and it starts to swing around the shaft I0. At the position indicated at A2, a cam |18 (see Figure 1) raises the chuck, causing the blank to be engaged by the tools ||0, which register with the blank, and a pair of grooves |80 are cut therein.

The cam |18 then permits the chuck to move downwardly again out of engagementwith the tools 0 and at the positionc, the blank is being rotated a third of a revolution. At the position A2a, two more grooves |82 are cut, and this cycle is repeated, thev blank being turned another third turn at the position dand two more grooves |84 being cut at the position A3.

The blank then travels through the button drilling machine for further operations to be performed thereon, which operations are old and do not form any part Vof my present invention. I will Vdescribe them, however, as they will make the description of the operation 0i my invention clear. Y

At the position A4, a fish eye |86 yis cut `in the blank. At the position A5, one thread hole |88 is drilled in the blank. At the position e, the notch 52 of the bar 50 rotates the blank a quarter of a revolution so that at the position A6, the fish eye and drilled hole will assume the position illustrated.

Another quarter turn is then given to the blank at the position f, and at the position A1, a second hole |90 is drilled in the blank. Further positions g, h and :i illustrate three more quarter turns of the blank, so that the cams 48 andV |56 will be in their initial position for discharge of the button at A6, and reception of another button blank at AI.

It will be obvious that by providing triangular cams |56 and giving the blanks a third of a rotation at positions c and d, a six-sided design, such as shown in Figure 1 can be tooled in the button blank.

By modifying the shape of the tools I0, other designs can be produced.

By providing square instead of triangular cams |56, octagonalv or square shapes canine tooled inthe buttons. Y

It is therefore obvious that a number of designs can be produced byusing various shapes of cams and various bars V|65] for rotating the chucks the required fractions of a revolution, the cam ,|18 also being designed for the particular buttondesign being tooled.

rCircular designs, such as shown in Figures 9,

10,11 and. 12 can be .cut by tools ||0a, H012, and

|Bc, and by rotating the chucks, by the construction shown inFigure 8 rather than by indexing them. Thisfgives diierent annular designs depending upon the particular tool used.

The buttons illustrated in Figures '1, 9, 10, 1l and 12 are merely illustrative, as it is obvious that manyother designscan be Vworked out and automatically tooled with my construction, thereby eliminating expensive hand tooling as'now practiced.: Y Y

The tool heads 96 are universally adjustable on Vthe clampsV 84 for accurately aligning them with the centers of the chucks or Apositioning them oli-center if a design calling for such positioning is to be' tooled on the blanks.

The tool heads are individually vertically adjustable dueto the individual mounting ofV each bracket 84 'on the sleeve 16, and are simultaneously vertically adjustable by adjusting'the sleeve 16 vertically relative to the main sleeve Y 54. Such an adjustment is particularly desirable inorder to tighten or loosen the belts |22 as required. Y The entire assembly carried by the main sleeve 54 is then vertically adjustable by manipulating the handwheel 62, so as to accommodate thicker or thinner button blanks or produce deeper or shallower cuts as desired. Y

My attachment is readily applicable to the usual type of automatic button drilling machine to replace tools now provided thereon, and provides a means for Vmaking patterns, which are otherwise not possible on an automatic drilling machine, and possible only by a special hand operation, which requires more time and expense for production-of the design on the button.

Various changes as suggested and others may be made without' departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.Y

I claim as my invention: l. A button tooling machine comprising a plurality of reciprocably mounted traveling chucks and a traveling tool head, having a tool for engagement with a blank held in each chuck for Y cumferentially relative to said blanks.

2.` In a tooling machine, a plurality of chucks mounted for rotation about an axis, a tool head Y mounted for rotation simultaneously therewith about said axis, a tool on said head for each chuck, means for relatively moving said chucks and tools a number of times to cause the tools to Vengage and disengage blanks held by said chucks a number of times, and means for rotating said chucksk apredetermined fraction of a revolution between said times, said means comprising pulleys for rotating said chucks, a stationary belt frictionally engaging said pulleys to bias them toward rotation in one direction, cams connected with said pulleys and means for engaging the lobes of said cams to normally retain said cams against rotation, said means having portions to receive said lobes to permit rotation of said cam under the influence of said belt upon said portions receiving said lobes.

3. In a tooling machine, a plurality of chucks mounted for rotation about an axis, a tool head mounted for rotation simultaneously therewith about said axis, a tool on said head for each chuck, said tools havingaxes of rotation at right angles to the axis of rotation of said tool head,

means for relatively moving said chucks and tools to cause the tools to engage and disengage blanks held by said chucks, a suction conduit adjacent each tool for removing cuttings therefrom, said conduits traveling with said head, and a stationary manifold having partitioned sections spaced for registry of one with each conduit during rotation of the conduits and while the tools therefor are cutting blanks.

4. In a tooling machine, a plurality of chucks mounted for rotation about an axis, cams for indexing said chucks, a tool head mounted for rotation simultaneously with said chucks about said axis, a tool on said head for each chuck, said tools having axes of rrotation at right angles to the axis of rotation of said tool head, means for relatively movingsaid chucks and tools to cause the tools to engage and disengage blanks held' by the chucks, said chucks having other cams, means for engaging said other cams and thus indexing said chucks for other operations, and means for rotating said chucks to their original positions, whereby said rst operations are performed thereon in a predetermined relation to said other operations.

5. A button tooling machine comprising a plurality of reciprocably mounted traveling chucks and a traveling tool head, having a tool for engagement with each chuck for tooling a design in a blank held by the chuck, means for retaining said chucks against rotation while said design is being` tooled therein, means for reciprocating said chuck a plurality of times for tooling a plurality of said designs in the blank held thereby, and

v means for rotating said chucks between the tooling operations to space said designs circumferentially relative tosaid blanks, said means comprising a frictionally operable element biasing said chucks to rotate, cams and tracks engaged thereby to normally retain said cams against rotation due to such bias, said tracks having notches to receive portions of said cams and thereby permit rotation due to such bias at predetermined points of travel.

HARRY H. KNOTT. 

